PAAC - "Paac" the 4 keys to unlock student learning!
These four items have been proven to increase student engagement; together they make a truly powerful team so I created this acronym. How could you weave them into your assignments, tasks, lessons and overall classroom structure and format?
Purpose
What is the purpose in this assignment/activity/task/unit?
This is similar to your learning intention, but it should be worded so a student understands. If I came into your classroom and asked a student, "What are you doing and WHY?" what would they say? Audience
Give students a REAL audience for their product, work, focus.
Who is homework really for? What if your homework was to find a video about a topic and put it on the class YouTube Channel adding tags so it was easy for someone to find? Compare that to filling in a worksheet with content I could pull up on my phone in 30 seconds.
Autonomy
Who is doing the thinking, dreaming, brainstorming in your classroom? To get kids to reach higher levels of thinking and learning we must let go of some of the control in creation of lessons, assessments, projects, etc.
Before you go to create/do something, ask yourself, "Could a student do this?" Also, brainstorm WITH THEM! Let them share and show their genius!
Choice
Typically the easiest one to add, but it should be your LAST and the choices should come from THE KIDS whenever possible. Give them options to showcase their learning.
Let the students tell you different tools which they think would work for the project you have brainstormed. Create experts throughout the year on those tools and create a master KEY of who knows what! - Leads back to Purpose - helping others.
Let's take a typical lesson or unit you teach every week/year and flush it out...how could you include these?
These four items have been proven to increase student engagement; together they make a truly powerful team so I created this acronym. How could you weave them into your assignments, tasks, lessons and overall classroom structure and format?
Purpose
What is the purpose in this assignment/activity/task/unit?
This is similar to your learning intention, but it should be worded so a student understands. If I came into your classroom and asked a student, "What are you doing and WHY?" what would they say?
Audience
Give students a REAL audience for their product, work, focus.
Who is homework really for? What if your homework was to find a video about a topic and put it on the class YouTube Channel adding tags so it was easy for someone to find? Compare that to filling in a worksheet with content I could pull up on my phone in 30 seconds.
Autonomy
Who is doing the thinking, dreaming, brainstorming in your classroom? To get kids to reach higher levels of thinking and learning we must let go of some of the control in creation of lessons, assessments, projects, etc.
Before you go to create/do something, ask yourself, "Could a student do this?" Also, brainstorm WITH THEM! Let them share and show their genius!
Choice
Typically the easiest one to add, but it should be your LAST and the choices should come from THE KIDS whenever possible. Give them options to showcase their learning.
Let the students tell you different tools which they think would work for the project you have brainstormed. Create experts throughout the year on those tools and create a master KEY of who knows what! - Leads back to Purpose - helping others.
Let's take a typical lesson or unit you teach every week/year and flush it out...how could you include these?